
Queen Liliuokalani
last reigning monarch | Hawaii
The daughter of high chiefs, Lydia Dominis became Queen Lili'uokalani in 1891 following the death of her brother King Kalakaua. Sadly, the reign of Hawaii's first female ruler didn't last long. US businessmen had forced her brother into a constitution that limited the power of the islands' royalty and native inhabitants. When Liliuokalani tried to reassert her authority and the rights of her people, the US forcibly overthrew her government + annexed her territory.
Liliuokalani spent the rest of her life petitioning to have the islands' sovereignty restored. Today, she remains a symbol of Hawaiian culture and independence ~ and, a reminder to honor + preserve heritage in spite of political change.
pioneering | Hawaii's first female + last overall ruling monarch
royalism | belief in the monarchical tradition + Hawaiian sovereignty
advocacy | vocal + tireless for her people
songwriting | composing 165 popular songs in her native tongue
faith | devout member of Hiram Bingham's Kawaiahoa Church
three big moments
1891 | inaugurated as Queen of Hawaii following the death of her brother King Kalakaua
1893 | deposed after a US military intervention and placed under house arrest
1898 | published an autobiography ~ Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen ~ that she began writing while in prison that told the story of her life alongside the political history of the overthrow of her kingdom
her position then | her position now
the first + last sovereign queen of Hawaii | a cultural icon for the islands
born on
September 2, 1838
born in
Honolulu, Oahu, Kingdom of Hawaii
birth name
Lydia Lili'u Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamaka'eha
citizen of
Hawai'i
daughter of
Abner Paki + Laura Paki
~ her adopted parents according to the Hanai tradition where families would give children to childless relatives ~
sister of
1 sister | Bernice Pauahi
~ the biological daughter of her parents ~
educated at
the Royal School
~ taught by missionaries ~
loved studying
everything
~ a life-long love of learning ~
married to
John Owen Dominis
~ the son of a US sea captain ~
advocate for
Hawaiian independence
Polynesian culture
Christianity
child protection
~ donated her entire estate to Hawaii's poor + orphaned children ~
in her spare time
wrote music + literature
died on
November 11, 1917
~ in Washington Place, her Honolulu estate in the territory of Hawaii, following a stroke ~
image credits
Hawaii State Archives | public domain
collapse bio bits"Aloha 'oe, farewell to thee . . . One fond embrace before I now depart. Until we meet again."
Aloha 'Oe | january 1878
"I was a studious girl; and the acquisition of knowledge has been a passion with me during my whole life."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"The cause of Hawaiian independence is larger and dearer than the life of any man connected with it."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"To compose was as natural to me as to breathe; and this gift of nature, never having been suffered to fall into disuse, remains a source of the greatest consolation to this day."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"At noon of the tenth day of April, 1877, the booming of the cannon was heard which announced that I was heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"The Hawaiian people have been from time immemorial lovers of poetry and music."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"The feelings of one who has been imprisoned, politically or otherwise, can only be understood by a person who has passed through the ordeal."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"Hours of which it is not yet in place to speak, which I might have found long and lonely, passed quickly and cheerfully by, occupied and soothed by the statement of my thoughts in music."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"I have pursued the path of peace and diplomatic discussion, and not that of internal strife."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"I owed no allegiance to the Provisional Government so established, nor to any power or to any one save the will of my people and the welfare of my country."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"That first night of my imprisonment was the longest night I have ever passed in my life; it seemed as though the dawn of day would never come."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"It was the intention of the officers of the government to humiliate me by imprisoning me, but my spirit rose above that. I was a martyr to the cause of my people, and was proud of it."
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen | january 1898
"I could not turn back the time for political change, but there is still time to save our heritage. You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail."
to her adopted daughter | january 1917
"The way to lose any earthly kingdom is to be inflexible, intolerant and prejudicial. Another way is to be too flexible, tolerant of too many wrongs and without judgment at all. It is a razor’s edge. It is the width of a blade of pili grass."
to her adopted daughter | january 1917
for further reading about Queen Liliuokalani:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson + Angela Willard {may 2015}
Lydia Kamaka?eha P?k?
A portrait of the future queen during her time as a student at the Royal School. Liliuokalani was born to to the High Chiefess Analea Keohok?lole and High Chief Caesar Kaluaiku Kapa?akea, but she was adopted at birth by Abner Paki + Laura Konia according the Hawaiian tradition of Hanai.
Hawaii State Archives | public domain
Crown Princess Liliuokalani of Hawaii
The portrait of the Hawaiian royal was taken during her 1887 visit to London as a part of delegation sent to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Liliuokalani wrote a song in honor of the English queen that was performed as part of the festivities. She intended to take a tour of Europe afterwards, but news that her brother's kingdom was being threatened {by US businessmen who had used intimidation to push through a constitution that greatly increased their power while diminishing that of Hawaii's crown and people} made her return quickly to her homeland.
Hawaii State Archives | public domain
Queen of Hawaii to US House of Representatives protesting US assertion of ownership of Hawaii
Liliuokalani was diposed in 1893 when the US government yielded to pressure from American business interests on the islands and staged a military intervention on their behalf. Hawaii's last monarch later abdicated the throne to keep the peace, and the US formally annexed the territory. A short-lived rebellion was mounted in 1895, whose aftermath led to the former queen being charged with treason and sentenced to 5 years hard labor. Her punishment was later commuted to house arrest and then pardoned. Her year of captivity did not keep Liliuokalani from fighting to have her sovereignty restored. This letter ~ dated December 19, 1898 ~ is one of the many petitions she sent to Congress to repeal their joint resolution that annexed the Hawaiian islands as US property.
National Archives
Queen Liliuokalani's family + friends
After being imprisoned for "treason" following her forced abdication of the crown, Queen Liliuokalani spent the rest of her life fighting for the freedom of Hawaii + her people. She wrote countless petitions + even traveled to the United States on a few occasions in order to protest against the government's illegal seizure of Hawaii. Her efforts came to nothing, but her grace and determination left a lasting impression on her family + people.
hawaiihistory.org | public domain